So, I have been a little off my game this year when it comes to the preambles for our previews and recaps for Season 8. I think that’s because last year was a potential breaking point (in more ways than one. Shoutout to my shoulder). But, it could also be that Ryan Day has sucked the fun out of watching Buckeye football. In such uncertain times, I think it’s good to recalibrate your perspective on a pretty regular basis, and I have not done that in quite a while.

Well, let’s get calibrating folks.

I think lost in the shuffle of Ryan Day and his coastal elite mindset and soft hands, is that his teams do in fact get up for big games. Whether they actually win them or not is another question. They very rarely bring it against inferior opponents, but they also don’t lose. The 2nd half of this season has actually shown some substantive growth in many areas I have complained/worried about (caring against bad teams notwithstanding). So, my question here is as follows: Do you watch football for fun anymore? For my Bucks, at many points, especially last year, that answer would have been no. This year, however, I have had more fun - even with Mr. Day going John Cooper Mode.

That Fun to Frustration Ratio had been slipping recently, though. Honestly, something that helped me turn back that dial in the right direction was getting off X and joining Bluesky. Feels like old social media, which is nice for a change. It’s fun. It’s earnest. You can actually talk to people, and it’s not going to put posts from TurboHitler88 or AndrewTateFanCam in my timeline (Skyline?). It kinda feels like talking to your neighbors, or friends in real life. A breath of fresh air. It’s not all bad. Not everything has to be bad.

Keeping joy in our lives is a huge - and difficult - thing we need to continually focus on. I was reminded of that when visiting Benj and the girls this weekend. Yeah it was Indiana. Yeah their roads are true brain pretzel material, but Indy is a fun town. And seeing people you love really helps with recalibrating the ol’ noodle. Bre and I had an awesome time celebrating with Benj and Elizabeth downtown. Ate some wonderful food, had some delicious cocktails, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Plus Benj got to revel in my screaming at Ryan Day for the first half of the OSU game. Also, shoutout to Kevin for the cocktail lounge recommendation. Ball & Biscuit was excellent.

All this to say, we have enough troubling issues outside of our hobbies and interests to worry about. Let’s do our best to enjoy our teams, enjoy our time, and enjoy the journey. I’m not saying you need to stop barking with the freaks - I will very much continue to do so. But what I am saying is that if interacting with your favorite team is actively hurting your mental health, a recalibration is needed. It’s supposed to be fun! Perfection isn’t fun. MACTION is fun.

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THE RUNDOWN

Speaking of fun, the Wrigley Field setup honestly looked pretty sick! And hey, nobody got hurt by the walls! However, Northwestern is still a dirty program and #6 should get suspended for actually hurting Jeremiah Smith’s ankle. So dirty. But, the Bucks got it done and looked fine overall. Still a bit worried about the defense against QB runs, Denzel Burke, and a little bit of the O Line. But, much of this will be answered against Indiana!

I didn’t watch any of the MSU game, but from the few messages I saw in the chat, I was better for it. My John L Smith jokes seem to be spreading, as I saw some actually out in the wild this week. Not a good sign!

North Carolina did it! Bowl eligible! Hang the banner! Omarion Hampton went for 244 yards on only 35 carries lol. He’s the man and I hope he has a great NFL career. Do not come to the NFC North.

GVSU beat the imposter Lakers. Now onto the playoff where we have to play - according to SP+ - the Top 4 teams in all of D2 if we want to make it to the championship. Unreal. They do this to us every year. I’m sick of it. Is it because we created Brian Kelly?? If so, then I sorta get it.

NFL

No more mickey mouse undefeated season for the Chiefs! The REAL best team in the NFL in ALL aspects are your DETROIT MOTHERFUCKING LIONS!!! The Jags had absolutely no chance against us. It was incredible. Literally felt like an OOC college game between Ohio State and Kent State. Or as Christopher pointed out, Western. I am in love with this team. My fiancée (2 E’s Benj) has become a diehard, and man it’s FUN to watch these guys play. Also, their mentality and honest answers of “if you don’t want to get embarrassed then play better” has me hovering above the ground. No coach speak. No politeness. Just the cold, hard, professional truth. You get paid to stop us. Earn your money.

RESULTS

Ah, but you see, that’s where you’re wrong. Things never change.

Your Week 12 winner is:

Jonathan

The 8th annual Jonathan Invitational is coming to a close soon. So glad everyone could join him again this year. He went 7-3 and won $1.47.

In 2nd is Me! Another solid week week for me. Am I playing my best ball at the best time?? I went 5-5 and won $1.23.

In 3rd is Benj! The man spent a lot of money on Bre, Me, and books this weekend so it’s only fair he gets something back! He went 6-4 and won $1.05.

In 4th is Nick! Bad weekend to be a Spartan. Good weekend to be a Nick. He went 4-6 and won $0.84.

In 5th is Christopher! His push for the crown may truly be over after this performance. Not bad, but not good enough. Maybe he can bribe the commissioner during Thanksgiving. He went 3-7 and won $0.25.

In 6th is Kenneth! He finally put the W back into Wallace. He went 4-6 and won $0.20.

In 7th is Kevin. He survived by the skin of teeth. He got lucky, but it clearly compounded for him on Sunday! Winning in WTSBETS and in DrafKings! He went 3-7 and won $0.01.

🚨 WARNING! CHICAGO BEARS ZONE AHEAD!! PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION! 🚨

In 8th is Ethan. Ouch. Sorry big fella, I’ll buy you a beer over Thanksgiving to cheer you up. You need it. Ethan went 4-6 and lost $0.05.

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All of our teams are playing this week! It’s the penultimate week of the season, and man it’s flown by. Bucks play a Top 5 Indiana and we better whoop them silly! Almost Thanksgiving and the Horrocks beer garden is screaming at me like I’m Odysseus!!

Results are below!